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The Night Ferry  By  cover art

The Night Ferry

By: Michael Robotham
Narrated by: Clare Corbett
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Publisher's summary

Best-selling author of the critically acclaimed Suspect, Michael Robotham pens a dark mystery that uncovers the shadowy world of human exploitation.

Police detective Ali Barba receives an urgent letter from her estranged friend Cate. Startled by the letter's alarming tone and eager to atone for egregious past actions, Ali meets Cate at their high-school class reunion. The obviously pregnant Cate begs Ali to stop those who are trying to take her baby. But the plot takes a bizarre twist when a careening car kills Cate - and Ali discovers the truth about Cate's pregnancy.

©2007 Michael Robotham (P)2007 Recorded Books

What listeners say about The Night Ferry

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

An ok read

The first half of the book nearly put me to sleep but thankfully the second half picked up. The story did not provide an in depth analysis of any particular subject, but glanced over lifestyle, heritage, adoption, and human trafficking. Although it became an ok read, I think that subjects that are way too serious were not given any real attention, but were merely "situations" that were involved during an investigation that arose when a woman that had claimed to be pregnant was killed and it was then found that she had only been pretending. I think the story had a typical, decent beginning, but then it kind of ran all over the map pulling in all different issues that for me had no bearing on what the story was actually about, how it unfolded, or how it ended.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Well written but not a Joe O'Loughlin book...

I read The Suspect first, and chose this too hastily, hoping for another O'Loughlin book. It is taking place some time after Suspect, with Ruis from The Suspect, now retired and friendly ex-colleagues with Alicia, the feisty protagonist.

Once into it, I came to enjoy Robotham's writing again. The story tells a grim truth about human trafficking, baby selling, and attendant ugly human realities, and a woman sikh D.C.'s effort to wind her way through the knots of a complex set of agendas.

The protagonist is both good and annoying (to me) as Robotham portrays her. She's bright, incisive, aggressive and well trained as a DC. But he wrote her into many scenes requiring too much willing suspension of disbelief for me. He has her behaving like a naively brazen provocateur of bad guys who'd likely kill her instantly. She too often assumes she will be believed and taken seriously by males in the police world, thinking they'll do the right thing, when in fact, the usual self-interest reigns supreme. This naiveté didn't work for me, but there was enough of a good story to keep me engaged.

The narrator was good in Alicia's voice, but not very skilled with male voices.

I'll keep reading Robotham, hoping for more stories with the psychologist.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Unique Story

I really have enjoyed Michael Robotham's books. This one was particularly interesting because the main character is a young woman and the author effectively and believably writes from her perspective. Parts of the story were quite exciting and I had to make sure I was focusing on the road enough while listening. I am really looking forward to Michael Robotham's next book, SHATTER, when it is available in the US.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book!

I repay enjoyed this book and I love Clare Corbett! She does such an amazing job narrating!!!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Terrible, terrible narrator

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

With this narrator, possibly pre-kindergarteners

If you’ve listened to books by Michael Robotham before, how does this one compare?

I have always liked Michael Robotham. I have read many of his books. I think the plot was pretty good but the narrator was so bad, I couldn't follow it.

What didn’t you like about Clare Corbett’s performance?

I liked NOTHING about her performance.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Interesting storyline. I actually considered returning the audio version and getting it on kindle so I could not hear this reader. If you look through my library, you will see that I am a Robotham fan.

Any additional comments?

Where are you Simon Prebble???

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Yep its just ok.

Im glad to hear this picks up after the 1st half. I only got half way through so will revisit! (Great review majulatr by the way .. sums up the book nicely)

Very disappointing compared with Lost which I would highly recommend. Great story, great pacing, great narration.

Skip this one, but pick up his other two.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

my favorite Robotham

This may be a 1st among Robotham fans, and I do love every Joe O'Loughlin, I love every single book he's ever wrote. discovered him less than 2 years ago and in less than a year later I had read Suspect-Shatter and all of his non-series individual novels. Have been reduced to anticipating each new book as they're published like other fans of many years....and rereading his others, including The Night Ferry. In fact, I have have reread The Night Ferry so many times I know most of the plot by heart. I think it's truly such a fascinating story and I think it's more impressive bc I did some research on actual black market surrogacy and people smuggling cases that were the talk of the international media at the time of its publishing. It's rich with truly 3D characters and Robotham is a master of creating characters with unique human failings and winning qualities as well. The story is heartbreaking, but a truly astonishing piece of contemporary fiction. The Night Ferry is one of those stories that stay with you forever after you finish it. Couldn't possibly overstate how much I loved it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Painful

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one

What do you think your next listen will be?

A uplifting funny book.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Clare Corbett?

The narrator was fine

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Any additional comments?

Totally lost from the beginning to the painful end.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Meh

I've enjoyed several other Books by this author but this one fell flat. Had it been the 1st book of his I'd heard, I probably wouldn't have picked up his O'laughlin series. Those are much better.

The narrator needs to work on her male voices. They mostly sound the same - like they all have a cold.

I'd recommend for anyone curious about the main character, who plays a sidekick role in another book. However they need to have lowered expectations.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Interesting Story - But Bad Narration

I was truly interested in finishing this book. I've read other Robothams and they were great. But, OMG, Ms. Corbett's narration of the male voices in this book brought to mind Lucy and Ethel doing that cowboy thing with the fake moustaches (for those baby boomers out there) or better - 5th grade boys putting on a play and trying to do the adult voices. Couldn't tell one character from the next. Tried 5 times to get back into it, but my mind kept drifting. Buy the book and read it. Probably a lot better.

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1 person found this helpful